I did well as an actor in Australia, and then Paramount invited me over... to have a look at me.

To a large degree, those early lean days were self-imposed.

I was one of the first of the uglies. Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter... were very pretty fellows, and that was the trend. I was one of the first of the uglies to get lucky.

I'd much rather turn down a starring role in a bad picture and do a small role in a very good picture.

But I did a lot of boxing and I was captain of an Australian surf club.

I'm not doing my work for constant success.

Anyway, when I was a kid, I dutifully went to the Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College.